First Build: NOT Posting

[psychoanalyst]

Hello,

I just finished my first ever build today and was met with disappointment.

Main things I have tried:

1. Checked PSU by shorting the green and black wires: Case fans and PSU fan all work just fine

2. When connecting the Mobo, I did notice the green standby (SB_PWR) LED light comes on and stays on. But I don't hear any system beeps, nor do any of the fans and case LEDs work when the Mobo is connected.

3. However, I did notice one thing: when switching on the PSU w/ the mobo connected, the CPU fan and the the rear case fan (the 120mm one) turn on for ~ 1 sec and then turn off.

From what I have read, the system detects a short somewhere and automatically turns off? Could it be because of a faulty Mobo? I installed the stand-offs as per the instructions given in both the Mobo and case manuals.

In addition to the above, I also tried disconnecting all the peripheral devices (video card, HDD) not required for boot purposes, but it still wouldn't work.

I also double checked the CPU install and I am confident that it is installed correctly.

I had read up extensively, taken all the precautions (I wore a properly grounded anti-static wrist strap throughout), and I just cannot figure out where the issue is.

Build Details:

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1230 V3 3.3GHz Quad-Core
Motherboard: Asus H97-PLUS ATX LGA1150
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" SSD
Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB Superclocked
Case: Cooler Master Storm Enforcer ATX Mid Tower
Power Supply: EVGA 600W ATX12V / EPS12V
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer
Wireless Network Adapter" TP-Link TL-WDN3800 802.11a/b/g/n PCI-Express x1

I would really appreciate your help here.

My first forays into custom builds are not proving to be pleasant. I hope I am able to resolve this.

But the main thing I am very concerned about is I need to find the problem before the return period for some of the parts expire.

Thanks!

 

[sm625]

Take the motherboard out. Disconnect everything except the keyboard and the ATX power connections. Use a metal object to simulate the power button. You can try it without the video card just to see if it will at least turn on and stay on. I cant say for 100% certain whether that particular motherboard will turn on and stay on without a gpu present, but most do. Also try different RAM combinations.

 

[stinger608]

What CPU cooler are you using? Stock or an aftermarket type. If aftermarket cooler; is it a push pin style or screw on style?

Insure that the fan lead from the CPU cooler is indeed plugged into the fan header labeled "CPU"

If in fact it is, and your using an aftermarket cooler try backing the mounting screws off about a 1/4 of a turn and try again. Many aftermarket coolers will over tighten on Intel boards and cause this exact issue.

 

[psychoanalyst]

sm625: thanks a lot!

I just started the bread-boarding process and I found something interesting.

First of all the good news: I got to the POST beep (single beep)! Relieved.

But here is the interesting/confusing part:

1. I started by only attaching the ATX power, CPU, CPU fan and one of the case fans: no RAM. On shorting the power button, everything came to life. So good.

2. Then I attached my first stick of RAM. And guess what....fans all came to life, and then after a few seconds died out. Exactly what I had noticed yesterday. So, I figured that one of the RAM sticks is faulty.

3. I repeated the exercise with the second stick of RAM and no such issues....everything worked smooth. I tested out all the DIMM slots and they all checked out fine.

4. Here is the weird part. As a final check, I attached the "faulty" RAM once again and guess what....system worked just fine! What the heck???!!!!

So basically now I am back to the exact same configuration (even the same DIMM slots!) as yesterday, except now I am able to POST.....this is good, but at the same time very irritating.

Could the RAM still be faulty?

5. I attached my Video card and again everything checked out and I got the magic single beep.

Life is good, but I wish I could understand what the hell went wrong.

Thanks a ton again!

 

[psychoanalyst]

What CPU cooler are you using? Stock or an aftermarket type. If aftermarket cooler; is it a push pin style or screw on style?

Insure that the fan lead from the CPU cooler is indeed plugged into the fan header labeled "CPU"

If in fact it is, and your using an aftermarket cooler try backing the mounting screws off about a 1/4 of a turn and try again. Many aftermarket coolers will over tighten on Intel boards and cause this exact issue.

I am using the stock Intel cooler and might I say: I absolutely HATE the push pin s that secure the fan to the board. Absolute pathetic quality and the plastic pieces around one of the pins are already bent out of shape.

I am breadboarding now, connecting one piece at a time. Hopefully I am able to get to the BIOS!

Thanks guys. Will keep you posted.

 

[psychoanalyst]

It looks like the case fan header.

Every time I connected it, the system would refuse to POST: would start, and then turn off after a second or so.

I tried both CHA_Fan sockets and I encountered the same problem on both.

Not sure what this means: would I need to send the Case back and get a replacement?

Other than that, I think I am all set. I was able to get into the BIOS and it even recognized my USB keyboard, which was a pleasant surprise.

The RAM issue is a mystery....I am guessing it was a loose connection or something.

 

[Steltek]

It looks like the case fan header.

Every time I connected it, the system would refuse to POST: would start, and then turn off after a second or so.

I tried both CHA_Fan sockets and I encountered the same problem on both.

Not sure what this means: would I need to send the Case back and get a replacement?

Other than that, I think I am all set. I was able to get into the BIOS and it even recognized my USB keyboard, which was a pleasant surprise.

The RAM issue is a mystery....I am guessing it was a loose connection or something.

If the system isn't posting with a case fan plugged in to the case fan header, I'd be wondering about either the power supply or the motherboard. If you have a spare power supply available, it would be worth swapping it out for testing purposes to see if this behavior related to the case fan changes. If you don't have a spare, but have a multimeter, there are tons of videos on youtube showing how to test the output of a power supply.

I could see maybe getting a case with a bad case fan, but certainly not multiple bad fans in the same case.

 

[stinger608]

I have to agree with Steltek here.
I would see if you can borrow an additional fan and see if it behaves the same way on the 3 pin fan header. That could be a short in the motherboard itself and would require an RMA.

Also as Steltek stated, it could be an issue with the power supply.......Though I am more inclined to believe motherboard if it isn't just a fan.

Test with a known good case fan. If it works okay, just contact Cooler Master and explain and they will most likely just send you out a new replacement fan.